📖 The GIST Map - Help Guide

Draw Tools

Use the draw tools in the top-left corner of the map to add custom shapes and markers:

  • Polylines: Draw connected line segments to mark routes or boundaries
  • Polygons: Create closed shapes to define areas of interest
  • Rectangles: Quick way to define rectangular regions
  • Markers: Place point markers at specific locations

Click on any drawn shape to see detailed information including coordinates, area, and bounds. You can edit or remove shapes using the edit tools in the drawing toolbar.

Note: Drawn shapes are temporary and will disappear when you refresh the page.

Map Layers

Toggle various data overlays using the layer control in the top-right corner. Available layers for the Indo-Pacific region include:

  • Indo-Pacific (fill): Yellow fill showing Indo-Pacific countries
  • Indo-Pacific (outline): White outline around the Indo-Pacific region
  • Country markers: Diamond icons at country centroids with detailed country profiles
  • Volcanoes: Holocene volcano locations, colour-coded by type (stratovolcano, shield volcano, caldera, etc.)
  • Tectonic Plates: Major plate boundaries showing collision zones, subduction zones, spreading centres, and transform faults
  • Cyclones: Historical tropical cyclone tracks since 2000, colour-coded by category
  • Earthquakes: Significant earthquakes (M4+) since 2000, colour-coded by magnitude
  • Tibetan Plateau Rivers: Major rivers originating in the Tibetan Plateau (Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Mekong, Yangtze, Yellow River, etc.)
  • Population Density: LandScan 2022 population distribution as a coloured raster layer

Tick or untick layers to show or hide them on the map. Multiple layers can be active simultaneously for comparative analysis.

Map Type

Switch between different basemap styles to suit your needs. Only one basemap can be active at a time:

  • Simple Map (CartoDB Positron): Clean, minimalist light basemap - perfect for seeing land-based boundaries and country-level subdivisions. This map presents all geographical names in English.
  • Satellite Map (Esri WorldImagery): High-resolution satellite imagery - ideal for viewing terrain, land use, and physical features
  • Street Map (OpenStreetMap): Standard street map showing roads, cities, maritime borders, and human infrastructure. This map presents geographical names in the languages native to each location.

Use the radio buttons in the layer control panel (top-right) to switch between map types. The Satellite Map is set as the default view.

Legend

The dynamic legend appears at the bottom-right of the map and explains all symbols and colours used for currently visible layers.

Key Features:

  • Updates automatically based on which layers are active - keeping it relevant and uncluttered
  • Shows colour coding for different feature types (e.g., volcano types, tectonic boundaries)
  • Explains symbol meanings (triangles for volcanoes, circles for cyclones and earthquakes, etc.)
  • Provides intensity scales (cyclone categories 1-5, earthquake magnitudes M4-7+)
  • Displays gradient scales for continuous data (e.g., population density)

The legend only displays information for layers that are currently turned on, so it remains clean and easy to read. Toggle layers off to simplify the legend view.

Legend

GIST : Oceania Map